Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-09-17
MIGHT ITS OWN RIGHT.

line true lacLS IN tue hIuuleDeFgtr-
Newman case, as shown by state
ment in the Valley Vifginian, force
the conclusion that justice suffers
violence and outrage from the de-
based wearers of the cloth and the
purple. Would that every citizen
could read the account for himself.
Two so.called ministers, to avenge a
petty spite and hatred, worked them
selves on a Grand Jury and had in
dicted o poor, half crazy man, whose
little property adjoined theirs, foE
picking a few blackberries on thei:
premises, and breaking 20 cents
worth of rails /! A Judge acts no
fairer and allows a verdict of insan'
ity, which places the poor man in a
felon,s cell because there is no room
in the State asylums; the Court first
orders the prisoners discharge,
then rescinds the order and se0ds
him to jail:
Did ever court more completely
stultify itselfs 1t discharged pris
oner after verdict, ordered his rear
rest without warrant, and sent hin
to Jail as a lunatic, and fined counse
for desiring to be heard. To these
facts he subscribes his name in the
exceptions given Gen1 Williams
God forbid that l should have less
than contempt for such proceedings.
have known but three cases that
should be mentioned in connection
with this of Jones. / have known &
man to be imprisoned in the peniten
tiary for the larceny of one bushe
of wheat. / have known a man tt
be sent to the penitentiary on very
doubtful charge of forgery involving
70 cents, there to die. For this case
the public sentiment of this county
to-day shames itself. I have known
a man to be striped by orders of j
p. for thellarceny Of two bushels o
wheat. But Jones is brought,
year after date, only when person
al enemy is on grand jury service, t.
answer for less offenses and, in vic
lation of our usual procedure, trie(
without even the form of prelimin
airy examination before j. p,
law and custom which has Away
obtained even though the accuses
were arrested on bench warrant.
hold that this was a grand juro
malice.-It is, in my judgment, al
outrage upon the criminal jurispru
dence of our country. 1t is unjus
to the State as we'll as cruel and ty
rannical to the citizen. The trial o
Jones before j. P. would have COS
a few dollars; before Il court few
hundred. Each had the same juris
diction. But no prosecutor, no pei
son appeared to prosecute Jones 70
the awful offense of 1886, till the i'm
maculate Blackberry Moore got OF
the grand jury in the grand round
of the open "tin box" drawing.
tried to argue, possibly outside
court limits, against such procedur
in our courts. / did express m.
contempt for such methods of execu
ting law, which certain people ant
parties had said should be cheap
But beyond this, 1 held the rights o
the citizen to be worthy of more con
solicitation than they were receiving
at the time, and 1 did not hesitate
then, as l do not now, to express m.
contempt for criminal procedure
that subrogates the consideration O
hnman riul,+s tn fnx snalna. and nar
sonal liberty to arbitrary assumption
of ill gotten power.
These are questions of law; tn
personal differences between Judg'
Newman and Senator Riddleberge
are another thing even in that tn,
Judges conduct shows only his TEN
per and his spite, where common
sense, prudence and judgment shoul'
have appeared. He fined the Sena
tor for resisting the sheriff, who wa
his cousin and with whom he walk
ed quietly, bue the angry and excitet
judge thought he sac resistance
The offensive placard Riddleberge
denies knowing anything about;
hearing would have Strengthened GU
all misunderstanding, and would
have been the legal and honorable
course, but the Judges tempe
would have vindication of his owl
honor and dignity, not the Courts
In the light of the statement tn
Court suffered the greatest reflection
from the course Of the Judge. A
miserable burlesque of ministe
and grand jury man, reduced justic,
and religion to the level of a dim
novel plot .s 49,. ..
Gov. Gordon. of Georgia. signet